Of Burnt Badgermoles and Broken Dragons
by Fruipit
Summary: Azula never expected to leave the asylum; she never, ever expected anyone to care enough about her. But that's not the reason–it can't be. No one cares about her, and no one ever will. It makes no difference to her where she rots. [AzulaxToph] Spread the love, people :3
1. Change

It was never expected that she would leave the asylum, but for some unfathomable reason, her brother– and she spits at the word–was convinced to allow her to be moved to the new city. That shining beacon of hope and harmony that made her want to rip at her eyes because she could not stand the brightness.

Azula held little hope for her own recovery (despite her own protests that she wasn't crazy), and even less for her surroundings. She wondered how much effort was put in to make it seem as though there was no effort at all.


	2. Bars

Azula expected a dull, damp cell, surrounded by bars in which she would be gawked at like an amusement show. It surprised her that there was no pomp or fanfare. She doubted that many of the people even knew who she was. Her move was a secret; so was she.

For three weeks, she was taken care of, the only difference between the cell and her room back at the Fire Nation Institution for the Criminally Insane being the view out of the tiny barred window. She anticipated the change, the drop in attention and care, and was not disappointed.


	3. Answers

For two days, she sat alone in the dark, eating whatever food it was that the guards threw at her. They were earthbenders; they hated her for crimes she never committed, and simply because they could–who would report them for torturing a war criminal who deserved to die, anyway? She was no longer the famed Princess of the Fire Nation. She was scum, worth no more than the dirt she slept on. She would scream out to the dark world pressing down, the anguish oftentimes too much for even her wretched soul to bear.

There was never any answer.


	4. Requests

It took Toph one visit to the institute before she agreed to take over the job of keeping an eye the former Fire Nation princess. Zuko made the solemn request after threats to, not his life, but Azula's.

There was no one he trusted more to protect those important to him, and while Toph had been nervous at first (because who _really_ wants an insane war criminal on their hands?), the hollow vibrations that rolled off the former prodigy was not the only thing that swayed the metalbender's mind; it was the memory of who she had been.


	5. Inhibit

Azula never received a visitor. Zuko had all but abandoned her to the desolate room; her screams terrified other prisoners until she was gagged. The burns on her cell only ceased when the chi shackles were placed on her wrists, inhibiting her.

The feeling brought back memories, painful recollections of the freak, the circus clown, and extending further and further as Azula fought to ignore it. She didn't want to remember, to know or imagine.

The only time she ever felt the need for company, and she was so removed from society that even the guards barely showed their face.


	6. Excursions

Occasionally, Toph would venture into the lower cells. She would stand, silently feeling the firebender as she sat in her cell and the cold slowly seeping into the pores of both women.

Toph never allowed Azula the knowledge that she was being watched; that her actions were being scrutinised.

These visits grew in frequency until Toph would barely go a day without casting her sight on the firebender. They would have continued, had she not accidentally made her presence known by use of a stray pebble.

Azula's confused cries, her questioning of ghosts, put an end to the metalbenders' excursions.


	7. Enemy

"Take her back."

Toph, who is usually blunt anyway, still managed to surprise Zuko as the Fire Lord stepped into her office.

"Umm..."

"Take her back. She doesn't belong here. She's not going to get better at all. We're a _police force_, for crying out loud. Not an institution."

Zuko regarded his blind friend a moment before shutting the door.

"I just don't think it's a good idea for her to be in the Fire Nation. Nothing can hurt her here, Toph."

She couldn't work up the courage to say that the most dangerous enemy to Azula, was Azula herself.


	8. Home

Toph had been keeping an eye and yet simultaneously ignoring the prisoner in the lower cells.

That had not been Azula's intended destination; while she was being moved, Zuko had the 'ingenious' solution that he could remove the expectations–and thus the insanity–from his sister by forcibly humbling her.

The private, lavish cell that had been prepared for the Fire Princess lay empty as she was shunned to the dank, disgusting, _unused_ maximum security cells.

Late at night, when she was alone in the office, Toph would sometimes just stop and think about the poor prisoner.

Someone had to.


	9. Progeny

Serenity was not something that came easily to the firebender. Meditation gave her no respite, and many days she merely slept away the hours, no other activities available to her.

She wasn't sure what was worse; the emptiness of her cell, or the memories in her mind.

Azula saw no one but the guards tasked with feeding her (the term used loosely). When opening her eyes to escape her mind, Azula wasn't sure what to do about the child standing just beyond the bars of her cell.

In her hands was a badge, and a furry plush toy; a badgermole.


	10. Visits

The visitor was back.

Mint green eyes peered at Azula through dark brown locks, and there was a little smile on her face. She sat just outside the cell, soft toy prancing along as she hummed.

"What's your name?"

The little voice interrupted her song, and Azula jumped in surprise. With a sneer, she ignored the question. The child leaned forward, placing the soft toy inside the bars.

"This is Terra. It means earth, according to my Mom. And it sounds fiercesome." Her hand released the toy, and she held it out to Azula in a small handshake.

"I'm Lin."


	11. Accepting

Sometimes, Toph hates being Chief of Police. She hates the long hours and grinding work. She hates having to be read every document (and paying someone to do it), and she certainly hates the criminals that waste her time.

But, that's not what she hates _the most_. Toph hates how her daughter accepts it all. She remembers that her own mother was barely there for her as a child, and she resented her for that. Does her own daughter feel the same?

Lin's happy laugh as she ran to her mother dispelled all such doubts.

"Momma!"

"Hello, my little badgermole..."


	12. Normal

A police station was no place for a six-year-old; even Lin recognised that fact. Then again, she wasn't a normal little girl.

The people were nicer than those at her school. Just because she didn't have a father didn't mean she was unsophisticated (a fact she disputed by earthbending the perpetrator onto the roof).

At the station, she often wandered around, talking to the officers; they were entertaining, and it meant she could spend more time near Toph. Plus, sometimes they asked her to calm down a victim.

She needed–and wanted–to help everyone.


	13. Expectations

Azula begins to expect the girl—Lin. Every day, a few hours after her midday meal, she would arrive, staying longer and longer each day. She doesn't always come, although Azula certainly doesn't _hate_ it when she does.

Azula never speaks to the girl; in fact, she'd be barely get a word in, even if she _was_ inclined to speak.

She _could_ try and lie to herself, say it mattered not whether the girl came, but regardless how she spun it, there is one small, undeniable truth.

It is nice to know she isn't completely forgotten.


	14. Responsible

The first time she sees the person responsible for her incarceration, Azula swears she looks familiar.

She is taken to a room, a short woman following behind. For a reason that Azula can't understand, it feels... off. There is nothing special about the woman in particular. She is short and stocky—almost chunky, but not disgustingly so. She obviously works out, and from the several patches of dirt and way she _exudes_ stubbornness, Azula can only assume she is an earthbender.

She isn't sure what to feel about that, and doesn't even know whether she should feel anything at all.


	15. Liar

It takes one question and three of four very angry officers for Azula to realise what they want; someone to blame.

When she agrees to orchestrating some kind of crime, one of several men who are standing before her give a growl and leans closer. "It was my friend you killed," he says, slapping her before leaving. Azula sits there, ignoring the stinging sensation as the woman moves closer to handcuff her again. Above her swelling cheek, she still notices the shiny "Chief" badge pinned to the other woman's lapel.

"Don't lie next time," comes the murmured warning.


	16. Illuminate

The cell creaks open slowly. Azula, sleeping, with her hands tightly bound by way of chi-gloves, can't summon the fire to illuminate her visitor. By the time he leaves, and she is pulling her clothes on with trembling fingers, she doesn't want to.

If she can't see, she can pretend it was a dream—or a nightmare. If she can't see, she can fool herself that she isn't hurt.

In the dark, though, she can't help _but_ think of the reasons why she deserves it. Her mother's right.

She is a monster.


	17. Strength

The girl is back. In equal parts, Azula wants her there, and wants her gone. She wants comfort, yet she wants to be left alone.

Lin can tell there's something wrong. She can feel it in the air—see it in the other girl's eyes. She has to be strong, because Azula is trying; trying and failing. She thinks, in that strange, nonlinear way a six year old processes things, that Azula is similar to her mother.

Toph can't let other people see her as weak. She broke out of her cage.

What about this poor girl?


	18. Echoes

Sneaking past her mother's office, Lin tip-toes down the stairs. The old stone corridors of the lower cells echo something fierce, and she is afraid of alerting someone. It is more likely that she will trip than anything else. The swollen cheek on her friend scares her, and she wonders who would hurt such a small person.

Why?

She hears an echo down the hall, and squashes herself up against the wall. At least she knows it isn't Toph.

Toph is distracted by a tall man that she had never met, with a scar on his eye.


	19. Without You

"How is she?" Zuko is standing in Toph's office. A small figure creeps past the door, but he has no time to wonder who it might be as Toph straightens up.

"She's fine. For someone who went out of her mind on the belief that she had to be better to be loved, she's doing remarkably well in the solitary cell that _you_ prepared just for her, _Fire Lord_. You know nothing about her, so don't bother to learn."

Zuko narrows his eyes. "How is Azula, Toph?"

Toph snarls at him. "She's _fine._ Without you."


	20. Names

"What's your name?"

Azula starts. The little girl is sitting just outside her cell, having wandered in only moments before. Azula has never been asked that question before. _Lin_ has never really asked any questions before now, and Azula wonders why it has changed.

"Why?" The question is honest, no hint of condescension or anger. It is just a simple question.

"Because a pretty lady has to have a pretty name."

Little Lin is looking at her badgermole toy, waddling along the floor.

"I'm Azula..."

Lin looks up, flashing a smile. "See? Pretty name for a pretty lady."


	21. Author's note

100 word author's note!

Okay, first of all, I want to thank you all so, so much for all the wonderful reviews, favourites, and follows. This story also has the most views out of anything I've written, which is certainly encouraging :3

Secondly: I have absolutely no idea where this is going, so if you want to see something in particular, tell me! I'm always open to ideas and suggestions (actually, I love them). So if you have them, lemme know! I also love hearing your insights, so keep up with those!

As always, thank you :)

-Fruipit


	22. Lost

Zuko leaves shortly afterwards, unable to meet Toph's blind gaze when he knows she is right. The earthbender holds herself up straight until the door slams shut, sinking into her chair, head in her hands. Everything is still and quiet, pressing down on her.

There are far too many pressures; it feels like her life isn't her own sometimes. She's a single mother, and yet sometimes she doesn't even feel like that. Lin is growing up, and Toph isn't there.

Eyes wide, she slowly lifts her head from her hands.

Where the hell is Lin?


	23. Bending

They can hear footsteps echoing above them; thick, clunking thrums that remind Azula so much of the Fire Nation military. Remind her so much of the man who keeps coming to her cell and taking, taking, taking her soul.

Lin knows what the noise is. It's just the officers, in a bit of a tizzy, it seems, but harmless. It fades to the background as her friend pales.

Lin grips the bars, pulling them open just enough to slide through. Sitting in front of the quiet woman with the beautiful name, she holds her hand out with a smile.


	24. It Takes a Village

Toph can't feel Lin anywhere. The whole precinct has pitched in to help find the little girl who may as well be their daughter, too.

It takes a village.

All the thundering, panicking... Toph can barely feel her way through the crowd, her head spinning. Lin knows better than to wander off.

"Quiet!" she screams, and everyone pauses. Sucking in a breath, Toph runs the sole of her foot along the floor, seeking out any sign of her daughter.

Lin isn't where she should be. She's nowhere near Toph.

Oh, spirits. She's in the lower cells.


	25. Blind

"You can bend?" Azula's raspy voice cuts through the air as she ignores the hand held out to her. Lin gives a happy nod.

"My mama teached me," she says, proud of herself.

Azula's mind is working double time. Peering at the girl, she forces out a, "What else can you make?". Lin is happy to show off, reaching under her sleeve and pulling out a strange bracelet.

"Watch this!" she cheers, happy her friend is talking to her. She doesn't notice the sounds of footsteps. Azula does.

Lin only feels the thin fingers around her neck.


	26. Wet Cheeks

"Let her go, Azula!"

Lin is finding it a hard to breath, though at least she's quiet about it. She doesn't squirm as she hears Azula take a shuddering gasp, her hand tightening around the little bender's throat.

"Back off!" she screams, eyes wild but staring at one officer in particular. Lin's heart sinks, but not for herself. She's looking only at Azula, the only one close enough to see tears.

"'Zula?" she offers quietly. The pretty woman releases a shuddering breath, grip loosening the barest fraction.

Lin's still able to lean forward, her lips connecting with Azula's wet cheek.


	27. Penitence

Toph is just kind of standing outside the cell, not really sure what to do. Her heart is hammering against her chest, and with a croaky voice, she orders the men back a few paces.

Out of every possible thing that could have happened, having Azula sob brokenly into her daughter's neck wasn't what Toph expected.

She kneels just outside the cell, aware of everything. The two little girls in front of her, the officers whispering loudly down the hall.

"Lin," she whispers, voice croaky. "Lin, come away from there."

This is the first time Lin has outright ignored her.


	28. Yes

Azula's hand has dropped from her neck. The older woman's shoulders still shake, though, her head buried in the little metalbender's neck. Lin lifts her hands and squeezes Azula's tiny frame tightly. They are the only two in existence.

"The bad man who gave you bruises... is he here?" she asks softly. She doesn't realise her voice carries, that Toph has cocked her head and is listening intently. Lin lifts her hand and runs it over Azula's face. Toph swallows; it's what ''they'' do together. It's ''their'' system.

But, as Azula's breath evens out, she can't begrudge her daughter.

"Yes."


	29. Three

The firebender breaths in deep through her nose, the sound echoing throughout the cell. The sound of shuffling, before a hiss interrupts. The sounds move further back until everything goes silent.

Azula glances from behind her long hair, sharp eyes piercing. She's alone with the child and the familiar woman, and she thinks somewhere that it's nice. There's a little girl holding her, trusting her. It wouldn't take much to grab her head and break her neck. It wouldn't take much to remove such a stupid child from the world. Really, nothing much at all.


	30. Heart Sinks

"Lin, come to me."

Toph tries once more, and this time, Lin seems to listen. Her head pricks up and she stands, turning her face towards the bars.

"Lin, it isn't safe there."

The little earthbender shakes her head, bottom lip poking out. "No, Mama. The bad man is out there. He's not here. You let him in here, Mama. You let him be bad."

_Oh, Lin..._ Toph thinks, heart sinking.

"You have to make it better, Mama." She turns, whispers in Azula's ear, "Can my mama make it better?"

Azula doesn't know what to say.


	31. Spirits

Days later, after Lin is safe and sound and _staying with Katara because spirits what the hell is that girl doing, playing around with _Azula_?!_, Toph truly becomes aware of the problem. Her officers are breaking the law. Her officers know _she's_ aware of them breaking the law. And they're still getting away with it.

But, the more pressing concern is that Azula won't talk. She refuses to eat, sitting in the corner, holding something to her chest. She won't say who committed the crime—won't say anything.

And Lin is right in the middle.


End file.
